Exclusive | Homeless fixture has spent nearly 20 years on the same LA block just check Google Maps

Tim Roller has spent so long camped out on the same stretch of East Hollywood street that Google’s cameras have turned him into a recurring character.For nearly two decades, the homeless former math teacher has lived near a cul-de-sac off the Hollywood Freeway.Every few years, a Google Street View car passes by, capturing another snapshot of Roller’s setup — showing him curled inside a cardboard box, stretched beneath a blanket or sitting beside makeshift shelter.“I’ve been out here 19 years,” he told The California Post, describing life on the street as “a roller-coaster ride.”“A lot of drug addicts, a lot of violence, a lot of crazy stuff has gone around me.”At one point, a homeless encampment took over the area — with trash piled up and people digging holes through the night.“I got angry with them,” Roller said.“I said, ‘There’s a rule here: no digging holes at night.’”He later discovered why.“It turned out the reason why they were digging holes at night was because that’s where they buried their drugs.”Roller said he does not use drugs or alcohol.

Instead, he has developed his own rules for surviving outdoors.One is simple: Don’t eat where you sleep.“If you eat at the spot, it attracts critters,” he said.“So why would you eat at the spot?”Roller’s own path to homelessness has been complicated.

He said he once taught math and is the father of four grown children, all of whom he said are gainfully employed and remain in regular contact with him.He said he was addicted to gambling, fueled by his need for stimulation.“It got me,” he explained.“I like adrenaline.

I get bored easy.It keeps me going.”His phone provides another source of stimulation.

When the Post caught up with him this week, he had been playing online chess.“I was just finished losing when you got here,” he joked.His phone is also a survival tool.Roller uses apps to find cheap food and deals.

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